Offers background material for teachers and learning activities that are designed to integrate tactile and visual learning for elementary school students. The purpose of the activities is to foster a stronger and more stable understanding of the basic geographical concepts of relative position and direction. (JDH)

Presents an exercise, for use in college-level economic geography courses, which teaches the concept of nodal and network accessibility with an application to manufacturing locations. Intended to guide students to think spatially and to generalize from numeric data, this out-of-class activity teaches students to discover results, to do simple…

The purpose of this paper is to promote a better understanding of contour map lines and the mental visualization of the topographic forms that they represent by detailing 17 principles of contour map reading and illustrating them with computer-generated, three-dimensional maps. (Author/BSR)

Presents five day teaching unit on Michigan's experience with Principal Meridian and Base Line, attempting to focus on reality instead of ideal situations. Especially applicable in areas where rectangular land survey is employed, the unit focuses on the evolution of prime lines and the reading of surveyors' field notes. Provides for a field…

States that the Model United Nations (M.U.N.) is a colorful and stimulating way to teach geography and help secondary school students overcome their indifference to classroom instruction. Outlines the procedures for implementing the M.U.N. in a classroom situation and indicates how it addresses the fundamental themes in geography. (Author/GEA)

Discusses how instructors can design a local field trip for undergraduate students enrolled in an economic geography class. The purpose of the field trip is to help students observe and interpret familiar scenes in terms of geographical concepts such as central place theory, changing land use, and spatial competition. (RM)

Crime is a sufficiently constant and significant problem to warrant treatment in human geography courses at the high school and college levels. Issues in crime and justice are explored from a geographical perspective, a model of geographical elements in criminal justice systems is outlined and instructional applications are discussed. (RM)

Kites allow teachers to illustrate wind patterns by calling on past experience and by present demonstration. Features of the wind illustrated by kites--the effect of surface friction on wind speed, change of wind direction with elevation, gust and lull sequence, and atmospheric stability and turbulence type--are discussed. (SR)

Lessons involve K-12 students in analyzing teacher-developed state and local thematic maps, identifying countries of the world with which their city has a linkage as indicated by local ethnic restaurants, discussing local companies involved in international trade, and learning about foreign-made products in their home and community. (RM)

A seven-lesson unit was developed to improve school map knowledge and practical map skills in primary children. The unit activities can also be modified for kindergarten children. (Author/AM)

Secondary students can study time and the motions of the sun by plotting an analemma, a graphic representation of the declination of the sun and the equation of time for every day of the year. They can collect data by measuring a dowel stick's shadow in the noon sun. (KC)

Explains how a simulation of aerial photography can help students in a college level beginning course on interpretation of aerial photography understand the interrelationships of the airplane, the camera, and the earth's surface. Procedures, objectives, equipment, and scale are discussed. (DB)

Suggests how to use remote sensing techniques and data in geography courses in high school and college as well as in geography research. Tips are presented on using techniques such as topographic maps, vertical aerial photographs in stereo pairs, satellite images, and SLAR images (which are particularly useful in teaching landforms and…

Suggests a teaching method (the Visual Response System, VRS) for use in teaching geography concepts to students in high school social studies classes. The purpose of the VRS is to increase the level of active student response to instructional material. A program based on VRS map skills is described. (DB)

Describes an educational game that is designed to review and reinforce elementary map and compass skills and help children to use maps to plot routes to specific locations in urban areas. The game is based on a tag procedure and can be used with almost any large-scale street map. (MJP)